National Velvet

How did I get so far along life's path without having read this? I do not know. I have owned a copy of it for nearly ever. I do know I'm glad to have fallen in with Velvet and her remarkable family, including The Piebald and Mi(chael) Taylor, at long last. I didn't even know much of the story, other than it involved a girl and a horse and (I assumed) a race. So I find it actually involves a sickly, unattractive 14-year-old girl with an early version of braces (which she can remove when they get terribly uncomfortable); a recalcitrant, probably ill-bred horse; a once-famous mother who in her youth swam the English Channel against all odds; and that iconic steeplechase, the Grand National. If, like me, you had a picture of Velvet as the show more young and stunning Elizabeth Taylor astride a thoroughbred in your mind, you're forgiven for making that face you're making now. I've never seen the movie either (was Mickey Rooney her "trainer"?---that's quite wrong too) and I can't decide whether I want to. In any case, the story on the page is a dandy, there's next-to-no sentimentality to it, Velvet's mother is perfection, and her little brother is a hoot. I read one of Enid Bagnold's adult novels many years ago, and enjoyed it, although I found it just a bit overwrought in spots. Still, the characters in that one were very crisp around the edges, and the same is true here. No one blends into the background. The dialog is so realistic I had a little trouble with it at first (not being a denizen of rural England in the mid-1930's) but I soon caught on. Excellent illustrations in my book club edition from 1958. Highly recommended. show less

This is a story set in a small English village in the 1920's. Its protagonist is a teenage girl named Velvet, the local butcher's daughter. Although her father does well, she has lots of siblings, so there isn't enough money to indulge in her dreams- owning a horse. But when a horse considered a local nuisance- a black and white piebald with one blue eye who is constantly jumping fences and running about the streets- gets puts up for a raffle, Velvet wins. In another stroke of unexpected luck, an elderly gentleman becomes aware of her love for horses, and leaves her five ponies in his will. Now Velvet is the sudden owner of six horses. She and her sisters ride the ponies in small local gymkhanas, with various success. Then, inspired by show more a comment of her father's assistant who is an ex-jockey, Velvet gets the idea to train and enter the piebald in the most difficult and competitive equestrian event in the country- the Grand National steeplechase. There are several problems to overcome: her horse is wild and untrained, she's too young to enter the race, and at the time only men were allowed to participate, as it was considered too dangerous for female riders. Velvet is determined, though, and won't let any of these things stop her from pursuing her dream.

National Velvet is one of those books I almost missed falling in love with. It sat on my shelf for five or six years, and twice I tried reading it, giving up within the first twenty pages. But I think it just takes the right mindset and appreciation, for the third time I picked it up I fell in love with the story. It's not just about a girl who loves horses, it's also a story about growing up, about living in a large family, about life in a small coastal English village. Velvet's family is full of interesting characters and family dynamics. It can be hard to get into- especially as the writing style is different from other books- but I think it's well worth it.

more at the DogEar Diary show less

Like many girls, I was obsessed with horses as a child. You would think, then, that I would have read (over and over again) a book about a town girl who suddenly ends up with a field full of horses and wins the Grand National on the most unlikely horse of the bunch. Um, no. I don't recall ever having read this book before, and when I read it this year, as a 30-year-old, I discovered why: even if I had picked this book up as a kid, the style would have been so off-putting that I would have put it straight down again. That's not to say that there is anything wrong with this book; it's just as charming as a story about a girl and her horse ought to be, and there is a strong measure of realism, laced with a pragmatic tone, that prevents the show more whole business from becoming saccharine. But the dialogue is written in such a way that it was actually a struggle for me to completely follow it, until I let myself sink into the book and get used to it. I would suspect that the dialogue pattern -- which minimalizes words and assumes that words are there without actually including them -- is a product of observation, as it feels not only authentic but comfortable, once one is used to it, like a worn-in shoe. You can hear people speaking this way. But it is surprising for someone whose memories of the story are summed up as the Elizabeth Taylor movie version -- this is a more complex book than Hollywood would have you believe (as is so often true) but it's well worth the effort and ended up being earnest and enjoyable. show less

I first read this book as a child and loved Velvet's story. I loved the fragments I could understand, anyway, because the story contains foods, events, and household items that were entirely foreign to a child in 1970's Texas. Even after all these years of enjoying British fiction, there's still a few things I'm puzzled about, because I really don't have any context for what would be considered normal vs eccentric in 1920's rural Sussex. And why the horror of wearing muslins to the gymkhana? What are muslins? I know it's a fabric, but the book treats it as a hated garment the girls are made to wear. Was it an especially ugly dress? Donald is obviously a precocious and mightily spoiled child, but is his spit bottle within the range of show more normal little boy things for that time? I don't know. I might never know. At least I now know what treacle is, and can google all the other terms. Thank god for google.

Listening to this on audio now as an adult, there's so much more to this story that I can appreciate. The prose is a treat, the family is enchanting, with such distinct and unique personalities, and I understand both Velvet and her mother much better. show less

A butcher's daughter in a small Sussex town ends her nightly prayers with "Oh, God, give me horses, give me horses! Let me be the best rider in England!" The answer to 14-year-old Velvet Brown's plea materializes in the form of an unwanted piebald, raffled off in a village lottery, who turns out to be adept at jumping fences--exactly the sort of horse that could win the world's most famous steeplechase, the Grand National.
Richly atmospheric of rural life in England between the World Wars, National Velvet has enchanted generations of readers since its 1935 debut. The heroine's grit and determination, backed by the support of her eccentric and loving family, offer an inspiring example of the struggles and rewards of following a dream.

A butcher's daughter in a small Sussex town ends her nightly prayers with "Oh, God, give me horses, give me horses! Let me be the best rider in England!" The answer to 14-year-old Velvet Brown's plea materializes in the form of an unwanted piebald, raffled off in a village lottery, who turns out to be adept at jumping fences--exactly the sort of horse that could win the world's most famous steeplechase, the Grand National.
Richly atmospheric of rural life in England between the World Wars, National Velvet has enchanted generations of readers since its 1935 debut. The heroine's grit and determination, backed by the support of her eccentric and loving family, offer an inspiring example of the struggles and rewards of following a dream.

Velvet Brown is the youngest daughter of a butcher and a woman who swam the English Channel before her marriage. Her mother has put on a lot of weight since that feat. Velvet lives in a small English village, and the story is set, as far as I can tell, in the 1920's. She has three gorgeous older sisters, described in the book as 'sleek golden greyhounds' and a younger brother, Donald. Velvet herself is described as thin, with 'cotton hair' and wears a plate to correct her buck teeth. Animals in the household are Jacob, a hound, and Miss Ada, an old cart pony. Mi Taylor is Mr. Brown's assistant. He was trusted with the job because his father was Mrs. Brown's swimming coach who helped her swim the Channel.Velvet is obsessed with horses, show more and wants to own so many that she can have a choice which one to ride. She cuts horses out of magazines and keeps the pictures in a box. She pretends to drive or ride horses when she is out walking alone. When she is in bed before she goes to sleep she pretends to drive a horse and cart. While delivering meat one early morning, she meets a stranger and tells him about her desire to own horses. The man introduces her to his saddle horses, and has her sign a paper. Then he goes away a little distance, and shoots himself. He had willed his five horses to Velvet. Later, Velvet wins a piebald gelding in a raffle. The horse could not be contained because it jumped out of any fenced field or corral, and the owner put him up for the raffle because he was tired of chasing him.The Pie is such a strong jumper that Mi begins training him for The Grand National, the biggest race in England. Mrs. Brown provides her winnings from the Channel swim for the entrance fee. There are many obstacles to this crazy plan, one of which is that Velvet is the only rider who can handle The Pie. This would be a non-issue today, but at that place and time, a female rider in The Grand National was unthinkable. The preparations for the race, the race itself and the notoriety after the race make up the rest of the book. There is no romance, but lots of familial care and love underneath the day-to-day busyness in the household.I love this book. I am not sure I still own a copy, but I have it memorized to the extent that I can just go through it in my head. Seriously, everyone should read National Velvet at least once in his or her life. show less